Science
Related: About this forumA New Study Appears to Stunningly Contradict Newton and Einstein's Theory of Gravity
Our understanding of the universe may be completely wrong.
BY DARREN ORF
PUBLISHED: AUG 14, 2023
MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY//Getty Images
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In 1687, English physicist Isaac Newton published his famous Law of Universal Gravitation. The idea that all objects attract in proportion to their mass was a revolutionary idea that became a huge boon for understanding the ways of the universe. But even Newtons influential work had its limitationsspecifically, it couldnt explain gravitational phenomena such as black holes and gravitational waves. Thankfully, Albert Einstein came around in the early 20th century to help patch things up a bit with his Theory of General Relativity.
But space is a big place, and even Einsteins sometimes meet their limit. One of the most well-known of these limits is a black holes center, or singularity, where Einsteins famous theory appears to break down completely. Now, a new study from scientists at South Koreas Sejong University suggests that another limit to Newton and Einsteins conception of gravity can be found in the orbital motions of long-period, widely separated, binary starsalso known simply as wide binaries. The results of this study were published this month in The Astrophysical Journal.
More:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/deep-space/a44776417/study-contradicts-newton-einstein-theory-gravity/
niyad
(119,488 posts)Judi Lynn
(162,335 posts)SleeplessinSoCal
(9,644 posts)Seiad
(55 posts)SarcasticSatyr
(1,281 posts)and this article continues that trend. I still remember the reporting of the 47-million-year-old fossil known as Ida that was going to rewrite our understanding of the evolution of humans ... hint, it didn't.
marble falls
(61,994 posts)SCantiGOP
(14,176 posts)Over the past few decades, it seems that every time an experiment has been devised to test one of Einsteins theoretical predictions, he has been proven correct. He acknowledged there were gaps in his theory and some apparent contradictions, but it is hard to believe that he was coming up with these ideas a hundred years ago.
BWdem4life
(2,457 posts)I have to laugh every time I see that line.
NNadir
(34,533 posts)I generally find that the popular press reporting extraordinary claims in science generally doesn't understand science.
The theory of relativity did not disprove Newton; it extended Newton's laws to to extraordinary circumstances while simultaneously refining and extending, not disproving laws of thermodynamics.
Journalists, now more than ever, value headlines over truth.